Guy Gilbert

Guy Gilbert was a French Roman Catholic priest and educator who dedicated his life to helping troubled and marginalized youth. He was born in Rochefort, France, on September 12, 1935, to a Jewish father and a Catholic mother. He was educated at a seminary in Algeria and ministered in Algiers until 1970. He returned to France, to Paris, where he specialized in working with juvenile delinquents in the working-class 19th arrondissement where there was a sizable pied noir community. He purchased a farm in southern France, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, and established the Bergerie du Faucon centre where troubled youngsters might be reeducated and reintegrated into society through work, contact with animals and nature, and self-respect. Guy Gilbert was known for his unconventional appearance and language. He often wore a leather jacket, jeans, and boots, and had long hair and a beard. He spoke in a frank and direct manner, using slang and swear words to communicate with his audience. He was also a regular radio correspondent with Radio Notre-Dame, a frequent interviewee on television, a journalist with La Croix, and a prolific author of books on his experiences and views. Some of his best-selling books include Un prêtre chez les loubards (A Priest Among the Hooligans), La rue est mon église (The Street is My Church), Des jeunes y entrent, des fauves en sortent (Young People Go In, Beasts Come Out), and Ma religion, c'est l'Amour (My Religion is Love). Guy Gilbert was considered a mentor and a father figure for many people, including Prince Laurent of Belgium, whom he married to Claire Coombs in 2003 at the St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral in Brussels. He also officiated the Catholic marriage of Belgian singer Paul Van Haver, known as Stromae, and his wife Coralie Barbier in 2015 in Martin's Patershof, a former church in Mechelen. He received several honors and awards for his work, including the Legion of Honour from former President Jacques Chirac in 2004. Guy Gilbert died on August 6, 2023, at the age of 87, after a long battle with a brain tumor. He was buried at his farm in La Bergerie du Faucon, where he had spent his last years surrounded by his animals and his protégés.